Showa era
Light Green Yellow & Cotinga Purple
Plate 61 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Green Yellow, Cotinga Purple.
#501345
purple · 7 palettes
Cotinga Purple
About Cotinga Purple
Cotinga Purple is a deep, vivid purple tone. Its hex value is #501345 — that is
RGB 80, 19, 69, or HSL 311°, 62%, 19%.
It holds 13.8:1 contrast against white, so Cotinga Purple works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 13.8:1; on black 1.5:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Cotinga Purple appears in 7 combinations — most often paired with Slate Color, Light Green Yellow and Carmine Red.
Colours that go with Cotinga Purple
From a standard colour wheel, Cotinga Purple anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#501345 #13501E
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#501345 #3D1350 #501326
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#501345 #455013 #134550
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#501345 #265013 #13503D
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Cotinga Purple
Cotinga Purple is a deep, vivid tone (HSL 311°, 62%, 19%), which makes it a grounding background or strong accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (13.8:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#13501E) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#3D1350 and #501326) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Cotinga Purple off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Pantone
Color Bridge Guide — coated
Listed on Amazon as Pantone Color Bridge Guide Coated | Pantone to CMYK, RGB & HTML Color Matching Fan Deck for Graphic Design, Branding & Print | GG6103B
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...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
Display Plus HL colorimeter kit
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite Video Photo Kit with Display Plus HL Colorimeter and ColorChecker Passport Video 2, 10,000 Nit Monitor Calibration, Camera Color Matching
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...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 24 — Art Nouveau
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 24 Colors II - Art Nouveau
See price on Amazon
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Palettes with Cotinga Purple
Cotinga Purple appears in 7 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
Questions about Cotinga Purple
- What is the hex code for Cotinga Purple?
- Cotinga Purple is #501345. It appears in 7 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Cotinga Purple look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Cotinga Purple (#501345) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 13.81:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 1.52:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Cotinga Purple come from?
- Cotinga Purple is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued purple pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Cotinga Purple in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#501345) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
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